A new research centre led by The University of Manchester has been launched which aims to promote socially just, people-centred sustainability transformations by collaborating with communities, governments and businesses to develop low-carbon living initiatives.
The People's History Museum hosted the launch of the Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) Centre, which featured a discussion on creating a sustainable and fair future in the UK through a place-based strategy that tackles political and social obstacles to reaching net zero.
The University's Vice-President for Social Responsibility, Professor Nalin Thakkar, opened the event, during which researchers, policymakers and community leaders gathered to discuss effective strategies for low-carbon living (LCL).
The ESRC-funded centre brings together leading academic institutions across Northern England including the Universities of Manchester, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, and Newcastle, and The Institute for Community Studies at The Young Foundation.
With the UK's target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the recent seventh carbon budget announcement by the UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC), attention now shifts to ensuring a just transition. This means sharing the benefits of net zero and the green economy fairly across UK regions and households. Achieving net-zero emissions is essential, but if the results widen inequality or cause some local areas to stagnate while others thrive, the UK will have missed the chance to create equal opportunities for all households, claims the Centre.
The JUST Centre is dedicated to exploring innovative, coordinated strategies to achieve a just transition, emphasising the need to tailor solutions to each location and individual's unique needs and circumstances.
The Young Foundation's 2022 study revealed that while 97% of the UK population wanted to participate in achieving net zero, 64% lacked confidence in the government's ability to deliver without leaving people behind. In response, Sherilyn MacGregor, Director of the JUST Centre; Mat Paterson, Deputy Director; and Emily Morrison, the Centre's Impact Lead at the Institute for Community Studies, joined representatives from various community initiatives across the UK. Together, they showcased diverse approaches to mobilising local communities towards decarbonisation.
Fuel poverty was at the forefront of the discussion, with those experiencing it being most likely to lose out if there is not a just transition to green, clean energy, following the initial presentation from Rossendale Valley Energy. This community-led renewable energy group aims to bring residents warmer and healthier homes at no extra cost. The group recently received the Energy Innovation Award 2024 for its Net Zero Terrace Streets project, which aims to decarbonise terraced houses using insulation, ground-source heat pumps, and solar panels. If successful, the project could make the energy system greener and more affordable in Rossendale Valley.
Guests also heard from the Climate Sisters project by the Women's Environmental Network. Working with women's groups in the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Hackney, the initiative empowers racialised and marginalised women to use their voices to explore climate justice through a 12-week Feminist Climate Leadership programme. The programme not only provides an opportunity to join the important debate but also contributes ideas and solutions to climate change, ensuring that all community voices are heard when shifting to LCL.
Another community initiative, Project Collette from the Green Finance Community Hub, aims to make energy ownership accessible to everyone. As the UK's first large-scale, part-community-owned offshore wind farm, Project Collette has identified that communities face even greater barriers when competing with businesses for renewable energy projects. Located on Cumbria's coast, known as 'Britain's Energy Coast', this project seeks to power a million homes yearly with a proposed 1.2GW of offshore wind. It strives to radically rethink community involvement in offshore wind by enabling communities to become part-owners and investors in the wind farm.
Additionally, guests heard about E.ON's 'Homes for Living' scheme. The programme is an extension of E.ON's existing offer of free or partially funded home solutions. The three-year scheme has helped make homes more energy-efficient and inclusive for vulnerable populations. By providing energy-efficient home upgrades and mobility aids to older people living independently, the scheme has helped reduce energy consumption while improving residents' physical and mental health.
In their remarks, the JUST team emphasised the importance of taking a place-based approach to addressing political and social barriers to achieving net zero by 2050. With £8.5 million invested by the ESRC over the next five years, the centre will develop new ways of generating evidence about what works where, why, and for whom in sustainable living, enabling meaningful conversations between communities and decision-makers.
Professor Sherilyn MacGregor, JUST Centre Director and Principal Investigator, comments: "There are many challenges facing the UK on the road to net zero, and it is a challenging time for this kind of work. We know a lot about the dangers of not accelerating the transition, and we do have the technological know-how to get it done."
